News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-02-10
WAS IT MURDER?
STORY OF WARS CRURL WAYS.
The Mother Whose Boy Was Shot as n
DescrfoF.
[From the AtIanta conslItation.l c

every now AMI then interrupted their
conversation.
But was it murder?
This question was uppermost>-in my
mind as | listened hOrror-stricken to the
running talk around me Tt had been
remarked that one of the deserters who
had been shot an hour before was
youth of sixteen.
Il felt rather sorry for the boy" said
the Captain
''Oh, it's all right, " observed the Ma.
ior.
Discipline must be maintained at
any cost, - put in the General.
eyes, of course" assented the Cap
tain.
Beyond a doubt y was the Majors
comment.
"Besides, " said the General, che was
no longer boy. He was a soldier, and
when he deserted he knew the conse-
luences.
''Just So" echoed the Others stimuli
taneously, but their faces wore a cloudy
look.
The General picked up Jomini's "Art
of War" aud spoke of it as a greatly
overrated book
u.
"Fifteen dollars" replied the book
sell 7.
"You see, gentlemen" said the Cen
eral, chow these cormOrants take ad!
vantage of our misfortunes. Fifteen
dollars for book worth fifty cents"
The military men all glared at the
bookseller, who wisely said nothing.
eyes" SAID the Captain, apparently
resumIng his talk, 81 was never so af-
fected in my life as l was when l saw
that little fellow shot"
"Did he finch 2" asked the Major.
'Not bit He was very pale, and
his eyes had that faraway look peculiar
to men who are looking death in the
face. E(e stood it like hero, never
trembled. and had his wits about him
to the last"
"Died instantly, didn't he 2" said
the General.
.cYes. Four balls through the heart"
$50 much the better lie did not
suffer" And the General picked up
"NTahan, on Field Fortifcations
Il heard that tho boy belonged to a
good family" said the Major. she ran
away from home and joined the army
and fought bravely. His desertion was
moro of a little escapade than anything
else"
"If Sherman was not pressing us so
internally hard, interrupted the Cap
tain, che would have been let off, but
the court martial just rushed things
through, and there was nobody to look
after the bov."
BOOM Boom! thundered the can,
49,, .,,or front
"Why should anybody look after
him J" interposed the General. owe
must look after the army and its discip-
line"
Boom
'The fact is continued the General,
"matters have reached a point where
we must make an example of every man
who fails to do his duty"
81 admit it,n replied the Captain
''but it makes my blood run cold to
slaughter mere boys"
The General tucked Jomini's cart of.
War" in his pocket and paid for it.
Then he turned around and cleared his
throat.
'sNow listen to me-" he said impress
sively. ''You certainly will give me
credit for the average amount of kind.
ness, sympathy and human feeling Yet
canuot agree with you about the de-
serter According to AL accounts ne
was sensible lad He knew his duty
as a soldier. He knew that if he de-
serted he would be shot. What did he
do2 When the enemy was marching,
on, threatening this very city, endanger
ing the existence of the COnfederacv, he
sneaked off to the woods. Some say he
was going to see his mother. 1t does
not matter. He was deserter. If we
spared him others would have to be
spared. The army would be demoral-.
lied. Desertions would be t order of
the day. We had to shoot him as an
example. 1t could not be avoided.
Now, let us drop the subject. l know
that 1 am right, and l should like to see
any one stand up and sag that | am
wrong"
Boom Boom!
The wave of thunderous sound rolled
over the whole city, and people stopped
to listen.
Just then a light wagon covered with
dust and evidently from the country
stopped in front of the store. Two
women alighted and came in. One was
quite young, and the other who was old
enough to be her mother leaned on her
arm.
"Have you an evening paper2" the
Young woman asked the bookseller.
He handed one to her, and the old
woman, arranging her spectacles,
glanced nervously over it.
eyes, it is rue that tn re was an ex-
ecution here today" she whispered
hurriedly to her companion.
Boom
For some reason the officers relapsed
into an embarrassed silence. The Ma
ior w III his index tnger commenced
drawing Notifications on a map OF
Georgia. The Captain looked moodily
at the floor he General pulled joni
mis- "Art of War" out of his pocket and
then thrust it back again
"Oh, mercy" exclaimed the young
woman in low tone, ''those people
told US the truth then"
"Oh, my God My poor murdered
boyW
So wild, unearthly and piercing was
the cry that every man in the room
started in alarm.
she old woman had fallen back in a
chair gaspine for breath, with her face
as white as a sheet.
Her companion gently famed her
until she laid her gray head on her
hand and sobbed aloud
Turning to the sympathetic and ST.
lent spectators the young woman point
ed to paragraph IN the paper and
said:
1T was her boy-her only son. The
paper calls it military justice. We call
it murderm
The General gradually moved towards
the door. His head was bowed and his
hands trembled. As soon as he got
outside he walked Off at a rapid pace.
The Major made several inetft ctual at.
tempts to build a strong redoubt with
his finger tip on the map Of Georgia,
but suddenly collapsed and abruptly
bolted. The Captain remained. He
brought the old woman a glass of water,
and famed her while he listened with
sad but kindly face to the young wo-
mans story.
1t seemed that the boys mother lived
thirty miles in the country. Vague re-
ports reached her that her son was in
trouble, and she rode in with a neigh
Dor, arriving an hour or two after the
execution. | caught this much of it,
and then an eager desire seized me to
follow the example Of the General and
TIE Major. As | went out of the door
looked back. The old woman was ST.
ently praying, while the teIrs ran down
her withered cheeks. Her friend looked
down upon her with pitying eyes, and
the Captain had one hand over his